Over the last few years, e-commerce has completely monopolised holiday and festive sales. This year, Rs. 25,000 crores was spent during the sales season on platforms like Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart. There was a huge spike in mobile traffic as well, and e-commerce portals are doing well all through year. As the festive season continues, everybody is looking for new holiday marketing ideas.

With the government's new demonetisation strategy especially, shoppers are also facing a severe cash crunch, and businesses are 'cashing' out on this opportunity. Retailers and e-commerce portals have offered people paying via card or online special discounts, which are further promoting online sales. With so many things going on, it's possible that your brand can miss out. These ten simple marketing ideas for the festive season will ensure that your brand doesn't get left behind in the holiday and shopping frenzy.

1. It's All About the Present(s)
Whether the holiday is in one week or one month, it's a good idea to start planning your marketing strategy right now. The saying the early bird gets the worm is true for all aspects of marketing as well, and the earlier you start, the more time you have to execute your ideas.

2. Ask a Question
Start a conversation on your website or social media pages. Ask people what they look forward to the most, or how they celebrate. Give them a chance to voice their opinions.

3. Invest in a Festive Makeover
It's time to decorate, and we aren't just talking about your homes. Make sure your brand has some festive cheer on its social media pages. You can even use platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to give followers a behind the scenes peak into holiday decorations in the office.

4. Give Something Back
It's a good idea to link your brand to a charity over the holiday season. You can ask employees and loyal customers to donate to the cause, or volunteer to help out. This will encourage people to engage with your brand even more.

5. Blog Tutorials
The festive season is a great time for most people, but it also involves decorating homes and buying gifts. Post content on how to save money while buying gifts, or how to survive too much family time, or even, how to make your own decorations. Even if people don't actually follow all the tips you give them, they'll at least read your content, and might also browse through your website.

6. Don't Forget to Hash Tag
On social media websites, it's important to use the correct hash tag to get your brand noticed. During the holiday season, more than a few hash tags are sure to crop up. Find something your brand can relate to, and start conversations with followers using relevant hash tags.

7. Offer Something Extra
Some of the best holiday marketing ideas are the simplest. Every festival comes with its own financial baggage. From buying decorations to gifts, to splurging on parties and new clothes, the festive season can actually be quite expensive. Offer your customers a discount on your services in the weeks leading up to the festival.

8. Get Behind Social Media Ad Campaigns
If you haven't started using paid ad campaigns on social media as yet, the holiday season is probably a good time to start. With people on vacation, they have more time to browse through Facebook and Twitter, looking for decoration ideas, or gifting ideas. A paid campaign will make your brand more visible on social media sites.

9. Lend an Ear
Think about carrying out a survey or poll asking customers what they'd like to see your brand do over the festive season. Come up with reasonable goals and ideas, and then, when the time is right, give the customers what they asked for.

10. Don't Forget to Measure
Don't get too caught up in the festive cheer that you forget to measure how your campaigns are doing. Check your website traffic, volume of leads, and the amount of engagement on your social media pages, and remember what worked best, and what didn't for the next time you're planning your strategy for marketing during holidays.

The festive season is a great time to be merry, and with a great marketing plan in place, it could be a good time to make some money too. Happy holidays!